Nevada-tan |
Nevada-tan is the name commonly used to describe an 11-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who was charged with murdering her classmate Satomi Mitarai. The murder occurred on June 1, 2004 at an primary education in Sasebo, Nagasaki and involved the slitting of Mitarai s throat and arms with a box cutter. It has come to be known as the Sasebo Slashing . The un-named killer has since become an Internet phenomenon cartoon character.
The cartoon began to appear on the Internet shortly after images of the suspected murderer were published showing her wearing a pullover hooded sweatshirt with the word Nevada emblazoned across the chest (the -tan suffix is a variation on Japanese_titles#Chan , a children s honorific). Her real name has not been released to the press, as per Japanese law prohibiting the identification of minor offenders, and she is officially referred to as Girl A in Japanese legal documentation. However, members of Japanese internet community 2channel ( 2ch for short) made public her real name on June 18, 2004 based on analysis of a picture broadcast on Japanese television; the broadcaster, Fuji Television, may have inadvertently done this as well.[http://www.uranus.dti.ne.jp/~yuugeki/nevada07.htm]
=The Sasebo Slashing =
The 11-year-old schoolgirl murdered her 12-year-old classmate, Satomi Mitarai, ( Mitarai Satomi ) in an empty classroom during the lunch hour at Okubo Elementary School in Sasebo. Girl A left Mitarai s body at the murder scene and returned to her own classroom, her clothes covered in blood. The girls teacher, who had noticed that both were missing, found the body and called the police.
After being taken into custody, Girl A was reported as confessing to the crime, saying I have done a bad thing and I am sorry, I am sorry to police, though she initially gave no motive for the killing. Shortly afterward, Girl A confessed to police that she and Mitarai had fallen out as a result of messages left on the Internet. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3768983.stm]
On [http://www.uranus.dti.ne.jp/~yuugeki/nevada-top.htm].
==Analysis of Girl A ==
While news reports state that there were negative comments left on Girl A s website by Mitarai (specifically that she was heavy , i.e. Obesity) which may have been the immediate motive for the murder, investigation has shed more light on the issue. A police psychologist stated that Girl A was not mentally ill, and already had a history of violent incidents, from punching and kicking other classmates, to an issue with a knife the month before the murder.
There is some public speculation that Girl A may be suffering from (and does fit some of the classic symptoms of) hikikomori syndrome, but as of the present, no medical examiners have declared such. Girl A was also showing signs of withdrawing from social life, including quitting clubs, although she continued to play physical sports, particularly basketball, until shortly before the incident. [http://www.worldministries.org/prophecynewsarticles/japan/040809_youth_violence.htm]
It appears that Girl A was heavily influenced by some of the more visceral aspects of Internet culture. An analysis of the case states that she was a girl fascinated with , around which she based the site s design.
==Aftermath of the Girl A incident==
The murder sparked an ongoing debate in Japan about whether the age of criminial responsibility, shifted from 16 to 14 in 2000 due to the 1997 Sakakibara murders in Kobe, Hyogo, needed to be shifted again. [http://www.coav.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htminfoid=834&tpl=printerview&sid=107] It also raised questions regarding the exposure of the Internet to young children, and the effect of the Internet and hikikomori subculture on youth in Japan.
Members of the Japanese Diet of Japan came under heavy criticism for comments made in the wake of the killing, such as then-Minister of Finance (Japan) Sadakazu Tanigaki claiming that the throat cutting was a manly crime. [http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/archive/200406/06/20040606p2a00m0dm007001c.html]
A Battle Royale fansite [http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/ Battleroyalefilm.net] reported that the creators of the sequel postponed the release of the DVD (originally scheduled for June 9 2004, a week after the killing) to later that year due to current events . [http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/news.html]
In the March 18, 2005 Okubo Elementary graduation, students were given a graduation album with a blank page, should the students decide to place pictures of Mitarai and Girl A , or class pictures containing both, on them. The school announced that photos would be made available upon request. [http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/archive/200503/18/20050318p2a00m0dm010000c.html]
= Girl A s Internet popularity=
For reasons not fully determined, the Japanese web communities, primarily Futaba Channel and 2ch, fixated on this story and adopted the girl. Her personal website s popularity suddenly rocketed, and when it was taken down, Mirror (computing) were established. Copies of her artwork began circulating around the web, with other artists creating variations on the originals. Fan songs, such as Cutie NeVaDa appeared. In June 2005, the online store that sold the University of Nevada hooded sweatshirt reported it to be their best-selling item in the site s online statistics; a few weeks later, the University removed the sweatshirt from their catalog. Cosplay created Girl A costumes. Artists on 2ch soon turned Girl A into a cute chibified character dubbed Nevada-tan .
The Nevada-tan character is often depicted with short brown hair, the trademark pullover, and a crazed, murderous smile. She is rarely seen without a box cutter or other sharp implement nearby. A common representation of Nevada-tan is as and the rest of the world.
It does not appear as though the existence of Nevada-tan or other aspects of the subculture surrounding the Girl A incident is intended to condone or lend support to the real girl s actions; it is simply another meme, albeit one with a basis in real life. It could also simply be an expression of morbid public fascination about a shocking and grisly event, just like the continuing interest in the England Jack the Ripper killings of 1888.
=References=
=External links=
WARNING: Some of these sites contain disturbing images. Please use your discretion.
==News articles==
==Analysis==
==Internet Subculture==
===Images===
===Music===
===Flash videos===
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